Various embodiments relate generally to industrial control systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods of extending capabilities of an operating system of a stencil printer or a dispensing machine.
One conventional technique for manufacturing circuit boards involves screen printing of solder paste or other adhesives onto the surface of a circuit board so that electronic components can thereafter be deposited onto the board. The screen printing may be performed by a stencil printer. Advancements in industrial automation technology have enabled the machine control capabilities of stencil printers to become increasingly automated. Many of these capabilities may be facilitated by a software-based operating system of the stencil printer, and may include motion control, input/output, database support, vision capabilities, diagnostics, and statistical process control (SPC) capabilities. Such capabilities may also include user interfaces that are designed to provide ease-of-use and commonality of operation, and which may be compatible with standard personal computer-based operating systems, such as Windows® by Microsoft Corp. in Redmond, Wash.
The standard capabilities of the stencil printer may, in some instances, be optionally extended through modifications to the operating system to satisfy particular operational requirements or customer requests. Such modifications are typically implemented and tested by the manufacturer of the machine to ensure proper operation of the stencil printer and assure quality control of the manufacturer's products (e.g., for warranty, servicing and support purposes). Because some modifications to the operating system may occur in response to customer-specific requests for improvements or additional features, implementing the modifications can be expensive and time-consuming for the manufacturer, particularly if the modifications only benefit one or very few customers. Further, such customers may incur delays or other inconveniences while waiting for the manufacturer to implement the requested changes.